Oh Yeah - an Energetic Check-In
Energetic and fun check-in/icebreaker format, for any meeting or workshop. It is based on the core protocol check-in. The "Oh Yeah" will stick! When will you try it?
The purpose of check-ins/icebreakers is to help people connect and open them up for better participation and energy.
Steps
Briefly state how you're feeling or pass
Finish up by saying: "Now I am energized!"
Everyone else answers: "Oh Yeah" (mind context ...)
Decide the next person to check in
Encourage people to really mean it and emphasize when saying "Now I am energized!" and "Oh Yeah" during step 2 and 3.
Be mindful during "Oh Yeah" step. Each person's context of step 1 will be different. People might have experienced the best or worst day of their life's, a good or bad day. I recommend transforming it to just "Oh ...", if it was a strong negative feeling.
I frequently observe emotional reframing: People who started with negative emotions during step 1 shifted those and their focus onto positive things and connected to the present. Some participants found things they looked forward to and mentioned those.
Recommended Group size up to 15-20 people, otherwise put people into breakout sessions. This is based on my energy level, when I perceived my enthusiasm drop saying "Now I am energized" and "Oh Yeah".
Other variants
You can play around during special occasions. Around end of year I used:
"Now I am in 2024" instead of "Now I am energized"
"Happy New Year" instead of "Oh Yeah"
Additional ideas:
"Aye Aye Captain" if you're running a Sailboat Retrospective.
Shorten step 1 to "Say 1-3 words representing how you feel" instead of "Briefly state how you're feeling or pass"
Blog-Post for more background: https://dev.to/leobastian/oh-yeah-an-energetic-meeting-check-inicebreaker-v2-25d8
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